GB2025210A

GB2025210A - Tape cassette holder

Info

Publication number: GB2025210A
Application number: GB7829846A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GILFIN INTERNATIONAL FT Ltd
Current assignee: GILFIN INTERNATIONAL FT Ltd
Priority date: 1978-07-14
Filing date: 1978-07-14
Publication date: 1980-01-23

Abstract

A tape cassette holder 11 comprises a backing sheet 12 adapted to fasten to a support member, preferably a vehicle sun visor, by wrap around flaps 14, 15 having fastening strips 19, 20 at their outer edges; individual pockets 16 for tape cassettes 13 being mounted on the backing sheet 12, for example by seam welding. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tape cassette holder This invention relates to tape cassette holders or storage containers, and is particularly concerned with the storage of tape cassettes in a vehicle. Various such storage containers or holders for cassettes have been proposed, for example in the form of rigid bins divided into a series of compartments for individual cassettes. However, such rigid storage containers are often bulky and intrude unduly to the free space within the vehicle. They may also have hard edges which constitute a safety hazard, in the event of impact with a vehicle occupant.

Problems are also encountered in mounting such rigid storage containers for cassettes in a convenient location, in which the cassettes are accessible from the driving or passenger front seat for insertion into a cassette player mounted at the front of the vehicle (for example, on or adjacent the vehicle dashboard or transmission tunnel) and yet well out of the way as far as leg room is concerned.

The foregoing problems of conventional rigid storage containers for cassettes are aggravated when it is desired to store a large number of cassettes, for example a dozen or more, because the container inevitably becomes unduly large, bulky and cumbersome.

According to the present invention, a tape cassette storage container or holder comprises a backing or support sheet provided at or adjacent opposite edges with fastening means to enable the backing sheet to be attached to a support member; the region between the opposed fastening means incorporating a series of successive adjacent storage compartments for individual tape cassettes.

The backing sheet may be flexible, semi-rigid or rigid. In practice, the individual compartments are desirably in the form of a pocket of flexible material attached on three sides to the backing sheet of the container and open along one side for insertion and withdrawal of a tape cassette.

Alternatively the pockets may be rigid or semirigid walled. In this configuration the successive adjacent compartments are preferably arranged so that the open edge of a pocket forming one compartment overlies the bottom or back closed edge of a preceding adjacent pocket and is thus held away from the backing sheet by the thickness of the intervening preceding pocket.

Conveniently, the entire storage container is formed of synthetic plastics material in sheet form and the pockets are portions of such material which are attached, for example by seam welding, to the backing sheet.

The entire holder may comprise a pre-formed rigid or semi-rigid unit for mounting, using adhesion or clip action or other fastening means, upon a support such as a sun visor.

Preferably, the opposed edges of a main supporting sheet are provided with fastening strips, for example in the form of the Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) synthetic material, whereby the backing sheet may be wrapped around a support member and the fastening edges fastened together to secure the backing member in place on the support member.

In practice, the support member is desirably the sun visor of a motor vehicle in which the holder is to be installed. In this way, when the visor is swung or hinged up in its out-of-use position, the cassettes, which are mounted in the wallet on the concealed face of the visor are held between the visor and the roof of the car; yet the cassettes are readily accessible by hinging or swinging the visor down to bring the pockets to view.

The invention also provides a vehicles sun visor incorporating pockets for tape cassette storage.

Thus the present invention uses a space not otherwise occupied in the vehicle and which can be concealed from view, for example, to deter pilferage; and yet which is readily accessible.

There now follows a description of particular embodiments of the invention, by way of example inly, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a tape cassette holder according to the invention; Figure 2 shows in more detail a view of part of the cassette holder shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the cassette holder of Figure 1 and 2 mounted on the sun visor of a vehicle in the lowered position of the visor; Figure 4 shows a side view of the mounting of the cassette holder on the sun visor, as shown in Figure 3; and Figure 5 shows a plan view of another embodiment of a tape cassette holder according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, a tape cassette holder 11, comprises a flexible backing or support sheet 12 of synthetic plastics material and incorporating a series of adjacent storage compartments 16, in the form of pockets with open edges 17 for access thereto. A tape cassette 13 is shown installed in one of the pockets 16.

The pockets construction is shown in more detail in Figure 2; from which it will be seen that successive adjacent pockets 16 comprise further individual sheets of the same plastics material as the support sheet 12, and which are attached to that backing sheet 12, for example, by seam welding along seams 22 along three side edges of each pocket. This leaves the open edges 17 exposed. Moreover, these open edges 17 are arranged to overlie the sealed bottom edge of an adjacent preceding pocket 16, so that there is a thickness of a pocket 16 between that open edge 17 and the backing sheet 12. This facilitates insertion and withdrawal of a cassette 13.

The successive adjacent pockets 16 are mutually staggered and offset in this connection in order to enable fabrication of the pockets 16 and assembly to the backing sheet 12; in particular, when seam welding is employed, a tool must be run along the pocket edges to effect the weld to the backing sheet 12. It will be appreciated that the pockets 16 are attached in this way successively.

Opposite side edges 19 and 20 of the backing or support sheet 12 are provided with fastening means, in this case in the form of "Velcro" (Registered Trade Mark) strips by which they may be fastened together in order to mount the backing sheet 12 on a support member.

The support member is preferably a sun visor when the cassette holder 11 is used in a vehicle. The mounting arrangement is shown in more detail in Figures 3 and 4, in which a sun visor 30 mounted on a support rod 31, itself pivoted at a swivel mounting 32 and optionally clipped or mounted in a support 33, is installed at roof level in a vehicle, only sufficient or which is shown to convey the mounting arrangement of the cassette holder 11.

The backing sheet 12 is wrapped around the visor 30, so that the rear face of the visor 30 is covered by the pockets 16. Side edges 14 and 15 of the backing sheet 12 are wrapped around the corresponding upper and lower side edges of the visor 30 and are fastened together along the fastening strips 19 and 20, as shown more clearly in Figure 4. In this way the cassette holder 11 is held securely in place on the visor 30 and yet in a position which is readily accessible to either front seat occupant. A similar holder 11 may be installed on the visor 30 on either or each side of the vehicle.

The visor 30 can be swung our of view into its out-of-use position so that the pockets 16 lie between the visor 30 and the roof of the vehicle. In this position any cassettes 13 held in the pockets 16 are securely out of sight.

Other modifications to the precise pocket configuration and layout and manner of fastening installation and use may of course be employed in other embodiments of the invention.

For example, in Figure 5, the pockets 41 are of clear plastic sheet material and are mutually aligned on a flexible opaque backing or support sheet 40, preferably of coloured, leather grain finish vinyl sheet to match the interior trim of the vehicle in which the holder is to be fitted. This enables the pockets 41 to be attached by continuous seam welds 43 and 44 at opposite sides and successive seam welds 45 at the base of each pocket. Opposed longitudinal side flaps 38 and 39 incorporate fastening strips 45 and 46 respectively, preferably of coloured "Velcro" (Registered Trade Mark) strip to match the material of the sheet 40.

In Figure 5 the broken or dashed line represents the side flaps 38 and 39 folded over and fastened together behind the sheet 40 and the chain-dotted line represents the flaps 38 and 39 unfolded.

It is envisaged that rigid pre-formed pockets, preferably of moulded plastics material might be employed and mounted on a flexible backing sheet.

An integral assembly of sun visor and tape cassette pockets might also be employed.

Additional pockets, for example for maps, tickets, mirrors, combs may be incorporated in the holder in addition to the tape cassette pockets.

The entire holder when not installed on a mounting such as a sun visor may be used as a portable carrying bag or wallet, for example with the side flaps fastened together or around a bag, purse, wal let, or other package.

A rigid or semi-rigid backing or stiffening sheet may be incorporated, in particular when rigid or semi-rigid walled pockets are used.

Claims

1. A tape cassette storage container or holder comprising a backing or support sheet provided at or adjacent opposite edges with fastening means to enable the backing sheet to be attached to a support member; the region between the opposed fastening means incorporating a series of successive adjacent storage compartment for individual tape cassettes.

2 A tape cassette holder, as claimed in Claim 1, in which the backing sheet is flexible.

3. A tape cassette holder, as claimed in Claim 1, in which the backing sheet is semi-rigid or rigid.

4. A tape cassette holder, as claimed in any ofthe preceeding claims, in which the backing sheet is formed of synthetic plastic material.

5. A tape cassette holder, as claimed in any of the preceeding claims, in which the pocket walls are partly flexible.

6. A tape cassette holder as claimed in any of the preceeding claims, in which the pocket walls are partly rigid or semi-rigid.

7. A tape cassette holder, as claimed in any of the preceeding claims, entirely formed of synthetic plastic sheet material and in which the pockets are attached to the backing sheet by seam welding.

8. A tape cassette holder, as claimed in any of the preceeding claims, in which the fastening means comprises corresponding aligned "Velcro" (Registered Trade Mark) strips.

9. A tape cassette holder, as claimed in any of the preceeding claims, adapted to fit a support member in the form of a vehicle sun visor.

10. A sun visor incorporating a tape cassette storage holder according to any of the proceeding claims.